


Arrangements

by Anonymous_Creator



Category: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Other, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 04:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17114561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Creator/pseuds/Anonymous_Creator
Summary: Sam's insomnia allows some of his insecurities to bubble to the surface. Thankfully Liam and Sam's wife are there to offer their love and support.





	Arrangements

**Author's Note:**

> The first rule of shipping real life humans is -- don't ship the real life humans. Especially don't ship them anywhere they can SEE it. And for the good grace of green apples don't mention it in places outside of this. This is weird. You're here too, welcome to my weird, weirdling. Enjoy it, but let's respect the real life humans and keep it on the down low.
> 
> I also appreciate comments, all that being said. If you're feeling brave.

Sam untangled himself from Q and Liam in the far too early hours of a Friday morning. Q he kissed on the head and whispered not to worry, he just couldn’t sleep. Liam barely cracked an eye open to glare at the interruption before he took full advantage of the extra room.

He should be sleeping. It was holiday break and it was rare enough to go to bed on a Thursday night at a reasonable hour. He’d laid down with sincere intentions.

Gentle steps past the children’s rooms and into the den that served as office and generally corral of things Q deemed ‘his and homeless’. Q took the concept of everything in it’s place to a new level and while their lives generally benefited from it, Sam drew the line at his office. Here papers were stacked and splayed and cords dangled haphazardly from his workstation.

He moved a jacket and sat on the love seat across from his desk and flipped open his laptop. His project notes popped open and synced with the cloud and he dug into his work.

Someone moved in the hall past the half closed door and Sam glanced up. He winced at the crick in his neck. The door slowly opened.

“You’ve been in here for hours?’ Liam said softly. He closed the door with care before joining Sam on the love seat. “I mean there’s can’t sleep and there’s just giving up.”

“I know. I just had ideas in my head.” Sam savored the peck on his cheek and snuggled into Liam’s shoulder. The laptop slid off his lap and hit the floor with a thump. Sam waved it away. “It’s fine.”

“That thing has more than nine lives, surviving this home.” Liam sighed and wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulder.

“Good stats?” Sam said.

“Hmm. Constitution. It just doesn’t know when to die,” Liam said, his voice wry.

“Oh God. We’ve become the dorks who relate everything in their lives to D&D. I mean, even more than before the show started.”

“Well, it got me into your life, so I’m not gonna complain.” Liam swept a kiss on Sam’s forehead. 

Sam felt a peace settle on the two of them. A quiet moment before dawn. No kiddos spreading their own brand of chaos. No phones demanding attention. Just Sam and Liam and the feeling of something unwinding in his mind as they sat together.

“So. Got a busy day today?,” Sam said.

Liam gave Sam a knowing glance. “Well, I’m still hoping Q’s in the mood for fun this morning, but if not I’ll see if physio can get me in early. Got studio time at two and then back home and hope my love doesn’t want a double dip this evening.”

“I’m so glad we bumped into you.” Sam said. “I don’t know what would have happened…”

“Hey,” Liam said. He turned to look at Sam directly. “Don’t get melancholy on me this early. I’m here. We’re happy. It worked out. We’ve both got wonderful families and wonderful lives. I just wish I’d thought to charge a stud fee at the onset.”

Sam scoffed. “Stud fee?I mean, I’ve seen it, it’s not like it’s that spectacular.”

“Ask your wife, Sam. Ask your wife.” Liam leaned back and chuckled.

Sam rolled his eyes and gave Liam a mock punch in the arm. “The walls are not THAT thick, Liam.”

“So how are things on your end? Getting your snuggle quotient?” Liam ran his hand lightly through Sam’s hair and gently massaged the back of Sam’s head. “Am I behind on my petting?”

Sam closed his eyes and enjoyed the full body tingles as Liam’s fingers glided through his hair and along the nape of his neck. “I think we’re doing alright.”

Sam let his mind drift for a bit before he wrestled a thought to the surface. “Should be asking how you’re doing with everything.”

“Home life is good. My brain isn’t giving me too many problems lately. Rugrats are amazing. Here, turn around a bit.” Liam began to work into Sam’s shoulders and neck properly.

“That’s. Aww… That’s cheating.” Sam managed to say. He let his head droop onto his chest and sighed deeply.

Liam scootched closer to Sam and hugged him from behind. “I’m good.Really. Nothing’s changed on my side. I’d tell you if it did.”

“I don’t want to imagine life without you in it. I wouldn’t even know how.” The words were plain and softly spoken. Sam gripped one of Liam’s hands and squeezed.

“Good thing is, you don’t have to.” Liam rested his head on Sam’s shoulder. “Just keep being you. I’ll keep being me. And we’ll keep being us.”

Sam nodded and leaned into Liam’s chest. “I don’t think I ever had enough touch before I got into this group. It’s hard to explain.”

“What, growing up near DC didn’t imbue you with hugs and cuddles?,” Liam said. He snorted and lightly thunked his head against Sam. “I’m a northeast kid, too. I never thought I’d be glad my kids are being raised in California, but looking back…”

“Yeah. Some things are just easier out here.” Sam pulled away from Liam’s back and leaned his head on his shoulder instead.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Liam asked.

“What, living in DC?,” Sam said.

“Whatever’s on your mind,” Liam said, “although, I don’t think it’s DC.”

Sam let silence build between them. Did he really want to talk about this?

“It’s nothing. You know it wasn’t easy growing up. There was a lot of pressure to be certain things, act certain ways. That’s all.” Sam heard the banal triviality in his own voice and didn’t believe himself. Which meant…

“Bullshit,” Liam said.

“Yeah,” Sam said, a little catch in his voice, “it pretty much was bullshit. But we barely had AOL. No one knew what to call it. I don’t even know if there was a term for it back then.”

“You Googled it?,” Liam said.

“Or whatever we had. WebCrawler? Don’t make me try to remember the early nineties. God.” Sam gave a dramatic shudder.

“So, you were just ‘shy’,” Liam said, the air quotes implied by his tone.

“One sec.” Sam got up and got a blanket he didn’t really need just to have an excuse to move. He was getting that awkward ache in his body again. The little voice that whispered he was wrong and would always be wrong and there was nothing in the world that could fix him. Usually served with a dash of vague unease.

Liam looked at him with an expectant and confused air. Sam realized he was clutching the blanket to his chest as he stood in the middle of the room. He gripped the edge of it reflexively before he set it down on the couch.

“I uh. I think I should try and get back to bed.” Sam said. He hated how fragile he sounded. He shouldn’t have stayed up so late. It did nothing for his ability to set aside the irrational thoughts and feelings in his life.

Liam pushed off the love seat and reached out towards Sam. “Hey.” One hand touched Sam’s shoulder while the other caught his elbow. “Hey.” Sam let himself get pulled into a hug. “Didn’t mean to hit buttons,” Liam said, his cheek next to Sam’s.

“Not your job to avoid them. My job to make them not be there," Sam said quickly. This was getting to be a bit much. “Look, I just need some time to recombobulate before the day starts. I’ll be okay.”

Liam sighed deeply and squeezed Sam harder. “Totally disagree on the coping strategies, but I get it.” He gave Sam a peck on the cheek before he let go. “I’ll head downstairs. Coffee sounds good.  Q and I can catch up later or something.”

“Hey, no, don’t change your plans—”

“We’re adults, we’ll figure out another time to bone, Sam. It’s fine. Go cuddle with your wife.”

Sam nodded and nearly fled out of the office and back to the bedroom. Q slipped a night mask off her face as he entered and looked up at him. “Sam?” she said, her voice a gentle rasp, heavy with sleep.

He got into bed and leaned against her. She murmured something sweet and loving and graciously didn’t complain about how cold he must feel against her. She felt like an overheating radiator most nights. The almond honey shampoo she used ticked his nose and he took a deep breath to set the memory of it in his mind.

“You okay?,” she said.

“No, but I will be.”

She nodded. “That’s the way of it, sometimes. I’ll stay with you until it passes.”

“Thanks, love,” Sam kissed her hair and settled his head on her pillow.

"You want to talk about it?" she said after the dawn started to creep in under the curtains.

Damn. Seemed to be his day for active listeners. "You're still awake?" He'd thought she'd fallen back asleep.

She turned and nestled into his arms. "Said I'd stay with you. Hardly can do that drooling on a pillow."

Sam brushed a hand along her cheek and rested his head next to hers. She'd lain awake with him for who knew how long. Just because. No. No that's not right. Because she cared. 

"I love you very much." He couldn't help how thick his voice was with emotion. "And I hope you're happy with our life together."

"Ah," she said with a knowing tisk. "I see. That again."

"That again."

She leaned away for a moment and came back with the wedding ring that had been on her side table. "See this?," she said.

He nodded.

"You gave me this ring. I think your family must have about died. It's got less than a caret in it. It barely has anything to it at all. And it's perfect." She kissed him on his nose. He pulled back in surprise and gave a half hearted huff.

"Perfect," he said.

"Yes. And not for any mambly pamply 'because you gave it to me' reason. It's perfect because you know how I live. You know what I like. You found something that fits into my life seamlessly -- that won't get caught on things, that polishes up from occasional dings." She slipped the ring on her finger and then cupped his face with her hand. "I love you. You and I knew exactly what we were doing when we started dating. And we knew what we were doing when we got married."

Sam blinked back the wetness at his eyes and shook his head, still cupped in her hand.

"You are exactly who I want by my side. Always." She kissed him. He felt his heart ache and tear and fight with the obvious love she offered. He let the love win. He leaned into her kiss and showered a hundred more over her temple and cheeks, down her chin and over her eyes. She sighed softly and he pulled back for a moment before she cracked open an eye.

"Sue me," she said in a faux grumble, "that feels nice." 

He gave her another peck on the cheek. "If you hurry you might catch Liam in the kitchen. He said something about coffee."

She rolled her eyes and flopped back against him. "Coffee and sex verse cuddles? That's not even a competition." 

Sam wiped at his cheeks and held her close, savoring the way she leaned against him. A minute later she rolled on her side and eyed him critically. His heart stumbled in his chest at the odd look in her face.

"Do you think, if I texted him something really naughty when I asked, he'd bring us breakfast in bed?" 


End file.
